1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and a device for aligning with a feeding line of a transfer conveyor, and bending, a round elongated, or conically- or cylindrically-shaped, dough piece such as a croissant or French roll dough piece placed randomly on the transfer conveyor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During a dough-shaping process the dough pieces may be randomly placed on a moving transfer conveyor. Thus, they may face in different directions and are not on the feeding line of the transfer conveyor. Therefore, they must be aligned or centered for further processing such as bending.
Relating to dough-alignment or centering devices, some Japanese patents are known. A Japanese patent, JP (Y2) 3-2513, discloses a centering device for centering bread dough pieces transferred on a transfer conveyor. The device includes a pair of rotatable guide plates. The plates guide the dough pieces to the center of the transfer conveyor and prevent them from dropping from the conveyor.
Another Japanese patent, JP (U) 2-83780, discloses a dough-alignment device. The device includes a stopper comprised of bent plates to block a plurality of dough pieces. The stopper is vertically movable toward and away from a transfer conveyor. The conveyor belt of the transfer conveyor is vibrated at a position near its upstream end, at which position the stopper is located, so that the dough pieces are aligned with relative to the advancing direction.
Another Japanese patent, JP (U) 3-44114, teaches detecting the position of a dough piece in its lateral direction by means of image sensors and transferring the dough piece in the lateral direction by a transversely moving conveyor so as to align the dough piece in the longitudinal direction.
Relating to dough-bending devices, a Netherlands patent application, No. 8800402, and a German patent, DE 4039793 A1, disclose devices to bend a rolled-up croissant dough piece from its ends.
It is difficult for these bending devices, however, to bend a croissant dough piece at its center. Therefore, the bent dough is asymmetrical, and defective as a product. Further, these devices have a complicated structure.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a simple device and a method for reliably and easily aligning and/or bending dough pieces.